The London singer beat the likes of Taylor Swift and Psy in the poll, which saw 137 members of the news service, including editors and broadcasters, submitting their votes.

The title is given annually to the person who had the most influence on entertainment and culture. Previous winners include Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and comedian Tina Fey.

Meanwhile, Adele‘s ‘Someone Like You’ has been named as the most popular karaoke song of 2012 by karaoke company Lucky Voice. The track also entered the Co-Operative Funeralcare‘s chart of the top music played at funerals earlier this year.

Though she didn’t release an album this year, Adele gave birth to her first child and also recorded the theme to the latest Bond film, Skyfall. She also won six Grammy Awards and two Brit Awards.

Adele‘s record label, XL Recordings, have stated that they do not expect her to release the follow-up to the best-selling ’21’ “for some years”.

Speaking to The New York Times a spokesperson for the label said: “The next Adele album may not come for some years, and it’s impossible to predict its likely sales. We therefore regard this year’s figures as exceptional.”